1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of electromagnetic devices using soft magnetic materials.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many metallic alloys have been produced in amorphous (non-crystalline) form by such methods as rapid cooling from the melt. These amorphous alloys have markedly different magnetic and mechanical properties from crystalline alloys of similar composition. Among these amorphous alloys are various nickel containing, iron containing and cobalt containing alloys, which include glass formers such as phosphorous and boron. (See, for example, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 15 (1974) 165-178, "Amorphous Magnetism" H. O. Hooper and A. M. de Graaf, 1973, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 313-320; U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,365, Sept. 24, 1974 issued to M. Dutoit.) Various workers have studied the mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and acoustic properties of such amorphous materials. The characterization of these materials as amorphous is borne out by X-ray scattering measurements which do not show the sharp scattering peaks characteristic of crystalline materials. This characterization is particularly appropriate when considering the magnetic properties of these materials since the X-ray characteristic length is much smaller than distances characteristic of magnetic ordering phenomena. These materials have also been found to possess many of the thermodynamic properties of glasses. Many investigators are currently searching to find amorphous alloys with useful properties.